Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN
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Clin J Am Soc Nephrol · Feb 2014
ReviewRenal relevant radiology: renal functional magnetic resonance imaging.
Because of its noninvasive nature and provision of quantitative measures of a wide variety of physiologic parameters, functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows great potential for research and clinical applications. Over the past decade, application of functional MRI extended beyond detection of cerebral activity, and techniques for abdominal functional MRI evolved. ⋯ Moreover, the framework of functional MRI opened a window of opportunity to develop novel pathophysiologic markers. This article reviews applications of some well validated functional MRI techniques, including perfusion, diffusion-weighted imaging, and blood oxygen level-dependent MRI, as well as some emerging new techniques such as magnetic resonance elastography, which might evolve into clinically useful tools.
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Clin J Am Soc Nephrol · Feb 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyPotassium handling with dual renin-angiotensin system inhibition in diabetic nephropathy.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers are the cornerstones of pharmacologic therapy in diabetic nephropathy. Mineralocorticoid receptor blockers reduce proteinuria as single agents or add-on therapy to other renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system-inhibiting drugs in these patients. The long-term benefits and ultimate role of mineralocorticoid receptor blockers in diabetic nephropathy remain unknown. A clinical trial previously showed that the kalemic effect of spironolactone is higher than losartan when added to lisinopril in patients with diabetic nephropathy. The purpose of this study was to investigate if renal potassium handling was primarily responsible for that observation. ⋯ Spironolactone raised serum potassium more than losartan in patients with diabetic nephropathy receiving lisinopril, despite similar renal sodium and potassium excretion. This finding suggests that extrarenal potassium homeostasis contributes to hyperkalemia in these patients. A better understanding of extrarenal potassium homeostasis will provide an opportunity to use this drug more safely in patients with diabetic nephropathy as well as other patient populations.
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Clin J Am Soc Nephrol · Feb 2014
HLA-DQA1 and PLA2R1 polymorphisms and risk of idiopathic membranous nephropathy.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within HLA complex class II HLA-DQ α-chain 1 (HLA-DQA1) and M-type phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R1) genes were identified as strong risk factors for idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) development in a recent genome-wide association study. Copy number variants (CNVs) within the Fc gamma receptor III (FCGR3) locus have been associated with several autoimmune diseases, but their role in IMN has not been studied. This study aimed to validate the association of HLA-DQA1 and PLA2R1 risk alleles with IMN in a Spanish cohort, test the putative association of FCGR3A and FCGR3B CNVs with IMN, and assess the use of these genetic factors to predict the clinical outcome of the disease. ⋯ This study confirms that HLA-DQA1 and PLA2R1 genotypes are risk factors for IMN, whereas no association was identified for FCGR3 CNVs. This study provides, for the first time, evidence of the contribution of these HLA-DQA1 and PLA2R1 polymorphisms in predicting IMN response to immunosuppressors and disease progression. Future studies are needed to validate and identify prognostic markers.
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Clin J Am Soc Nephrol · Feb 2014
Improving outcomes for ESRD patients: shifting the quality paradigm.
The availability of life-saving dialysis therapy has been one of the great successes of medicine in the past four decades. Over this time period, despite treatment of hundreds of thousands of patients, the overall quality of life for patients with ESRD has not substantially improved. A narrow focus by clinicians and regulators on basic indicators of care, like dialysis adequacy and anemia, has consumed time and resources but not resulted in significantly improved survival; also, frequent hospitalizations and dissatisfaction with the care experience continue to be seen. ⋯ Successfully addressing these intermediate outcomes will drive improvements in the primary outcomes, better survival, fewer hospitalizations, better patient experience with the treatment, and ultimately, improved quality of life. By articulating this view of quality in the ESRD program (pushing up the quality pyramid), the discussion about quality is reframed, and also, clinicians can better target their facilities in the direction of regulatory oversight and requirements about quality. Clinicians owe it to their patients, as the ESRD program celebrates its 40th anniversary, to rekindle the aspirations of the creators of the program, whose primary goal was to improve the lives of the patients afflicted with this devastating condition.
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Clin J Am Soc Nephrol · Feb 2014
Fibroblast growth factor-23 and the long-term risk of hospital-associated AKI among community-dwelling older individuals.
AKI occurs frequently in older persons. Elevated circulating fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23), a known marker of impaired mineral metabolism, may also reflect tubular dysfunction and risk of AKI. This study evaluated FGF-23 as well as traditional markers of kidney disease, namely urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) and creatinine-cystatin C estimated GFR (eGFRCrCyC), as risk factors for AKI in elderly individuals. ⋯ FGF-23 adjusted for albuminuria, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and baseline eGFR is independently associated with a higher risk of AKI hospitalizations in community-dwelling elderly individuals. Further studies to understand the nature of this association are warranted.